


Notes from Delphi

by we_built_the_shadows_here



Series: Bad Oracle [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Gen, Snippet, Time Travel - make everything worse, Time Travel Fix-It, maybe the real fix-it was the AUs we made along the way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-07-20 09:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16134098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/we_built_the_shadows_here/pseuds/we_built_the_shadows_here
Summary: In Bad Oracle, Delphi goes back in time 22 times until she gets it right.These are her notes from those experiences.





	Notes from Delphi

THE PLAN: Go back and save Dad, as most powerful wizard of 20th century, from his godforsaken self. Also save all wizardkind from blood supremacy as, when looked at from a Muggle scientific light, it becomes extremely clear that inbreeding as a result of blood supremacist doctrine is accelerating wizarding dieoff, because bigotry is for idiots.

1\. Went back to try to stop Dad going into the Potter house in 1981 & use his power to reverse wizarding dieoff. Stopped by Fully Grown Bloody Auror H Potter, his shitty kid, his shitty kid's boyfriend (?) S Malfoy, and the rest of the predictable crew. Revolting defeat in the field.

  
2\. Went back to try to stop Dad even allying himself with blood supremacy; discovered cannot go back further from my birth date (1998) than my own lifespan (22 years)--spent approximately 1 week (guessing, hard to keep track) stuck inside of a looping very boring 2-hour period of 1976 before able to return to 2020.

3\. Went back to try to explain genetics to Dad in 1980, silliness of blood supremacy, contribution to accelerating die-off of wizardkind. Ignored.

4\. Tried 3 again, this time with citations and genetics texts. Ignored.

5\. Went back to try to explain genetics to entire Death Eater crew in 1980. One eyebrow singed off in ensuing firefight.

6\. Went back to 1994, post-resurrection, with citations and texts. Managed to get a few, including L Malfoy, on board. Dad viewed this as usurpation. Dad was not entirely wrong. Remaining eyebrow singed off in ensuing firefight.

INFORMATION GATHERED: Dad cannot be convinced. He's an idiot and a bigot and does not believe in science.

NEW HYPOTHESIS: He and blood supremacists must be removed by any means necessary to halt or reverse wizarding dieoff.

NEW PLAN: Total war against the timeline. Destroy blood supremacists including dad and death eaters earlier than H. Potter was able to, then take control of volatile political climate using foreknowledge to the utmost and guide wizarding society into something less likely to have us disappear from this earth without a fucking trace.

7\. 1991, killed Q Quirrel in cold blood to give more time for A Dumbledore to catch up and destroy horcruxes faster. H Jones possessed by Dad in forest by force. Events proceed apace with almost no discernible alteration. Madness.

  
8\. 1994, kill ugly baby version of Dad in Riddle mansion to buy A Dumbledore more time. Also kill Wormtail and B Crouch Jr. L Malfoy actually _succeeds_ at the Ministry in 1995. H Potter dies, which is not really an issue, but S Snape becomes extremely erratic. He is sent alone to retrieve the ring and absconds with it, presumably to talk with ghosts. L Malfoy takes over Death Eater army.

\- Loss of life supersedes that of original timeline--absolutely unacceptable bloodbath.

\- Suspecting A Dumbledore is unreliable & will not act appropriately on truth when he is presented with it. Worse, world after success will likely still be controlled by him & his cowardice in the face of dwindling Wizardkind. Will have to take control of horcruxes myself.

9\. 1982. Destroyed ring with stealth; stymied on all others; L Malfoy too suspicious to let me have the diary; caught Auror attention and had to abort. Auror force is very very antsy in the early 80s, still too well-funded and staffed by veterans from First War.

  
10\. 1989. Destroyed ring with stealth; stymied on all others; L Malfoy still a little shit & S Snape asks too many questions. Aurors still too antsy, though more poorly funded and easier to work around. A Dumbledore cannot be persuaded to invest more effort when I won't let him into my brain. Grimmauld Place must be opened by the Order in 1995 to retrieve locket.

\- Must learn Occlumency. Returned to 2020 for a few months study. Bad at it. Must use old fashioned trickery.

11\. 1996. Destroyed ring and locket with stealth. Gringotts is impossible to even get into for someone without a vault and no identification or legal standing; got arrested.

\- Considering having self legally renamed Cassandra.

\- Must conscript ally with legal standing to get in the door.

\- Made too much of a racket to really work with this timeline; made a real hash of this attempt in anger by the end.

\- Don’t destroy Gringotts. Bad for business. The flying out on a dragon thing only works for H Potter, not a good look for anyone else.

12\. 1993. Persuaded S Black to let me into his house to destroy locket, helped clear S Black's name faster which let us into Gringotts, destroyed the Cup by proving S Black to be the last logical heir to the Lestrange vault (took some doing and quite a few greased palms, expensive business), took S Black to Gaunt shack; he put on the fucking ring like an idiot and then ran off with it. Found ring in little pile of ash formerly named S Black. Hope he enjoyed his very brief commune with ghosts before death.

\- Started from square one with A Dumbledore and S Snape but when exposed as to being party to S Black’s death they shut it right down; no way to move forward.

\- Occlumency is decent but not impenetrable and doubt I can get good enough to fend off A Dumbledore and S Snape; need to mostly tell the truth and put them both at ease.

\- Do not rely on S Black. Azkaban fucked him right up. Very difficult asset to manage. Not fun, will not recruit again unless absolutely necessary.

13\. 1992, bit of a lark. Tried to get the basilisk on my side and go on a horcrux-destroying rampage. Basilisk wasn't up for it.

\- G Weasley as controlled by Dad is actually a bit more fun to talk to than actual Dad--spunky fellow--but still cannot be convinced.

14\. 1995. Destroyed ring, diadem, locket by stealth. Tried to recruit S Snape as asset exclusive of A Dumbledore to advocate with A Dumbledore but we couldn't even get close to Lestrange vault because he's broke as a joke and the heir of nobody interesting, vault is nowhere near the dragon. H Potter, meddling little bastard, overhears negotiation with A Dumbledore on goblins which involves perhaps too much detail on the nature of the problems. H Potter mucks it all up and dies during attack on A Weasley in Department of Mysteries. Last ditch effort to get my hands on the cup results in S Snape at head of a inconvenient and shockingly competent Death Eater army breaking both from A Dumbledore and Dad. Dad dies in the mutiny but horcruxes abound so return inevitable. Quick trip ahead shows that lack of inside information from Death Eaters combined with manipulations through the Mark leads to Dad victorious in 2005. Wizarding population in UK halved.

\- Mostly my fault. Sloppy workmanship. Working with A Dumbledore is easier than around.

\- H Potter is very good at getting in the way. He must be kept occupied or killed. Prefer killed.

15\. 1997, destroyed ring, locket. Hate spring in Scotland. Got into Hogwarts with Mom and the rest, destroyed diadem. Killed A Dumbledore myself on astronomy tower during Death Eater attack, nabbed H Potter and caught a ride with S Snape back to his hidey-hole in Cokeworth, explained everything (B Lestrange needs to be manipulated to get the cup), killed H Potter. S Snape turned on me, barely escaped with both tits intact.

\- S Snape thinks he wants to know everything but telling him all of it means he's an enemy. Actually sincerely does not want H Potter to die, all evidence to the contrary.

\- L Potter's wishes re: her son still have hold even without A Dumbledore to enforce.

\- A way to manipulate him?

16\. Another attempt on 14. A Dumbledore is impossible and arrogant and refuses to let anyone but Dad kill H Potter when just killing him outright will do. Went ten rounds with the bastard, just as intractable as Dad. S Snape also against it even when confronted with L Potter corpse and evidence that he has been manipulated by A Dumbledore. H Potter keeps turning up to eavesdrop at the worst (best?) possible moment; throws himself off Astronomy tower upon learning he’s a horcrux, which would be very useful except without knowing it’s coming it’s impossible to work with. S Snape useless again after H Potter’s suicide.

\- They really aren't going to let me kill this kid. There is no amount of persuasion that will work. HE'S A FUCKING HORCRUX, JUST LET ME KILL HIM.

\- The kid can be persuaded to kill himself though. Potentially useful.

\- Attempt on Dad’s life led by A Dumbledore goes well enough but leads to L Malfoy in charge of Death Eater remnant army again, fucking trainwreck, too many deaths.

17\. 1995. Stealth is becoming too rote, fucked up trying to get into Grimmauld Place trying to get the locket, brought down a pile of Aurors on my head. PAY ATTENTION, D RIDDLE.

18\. 1995. Destroyed ring, locket by stealth. Got H Potter on my side--criminally easy as a Muggle--he destroyed the diadem his own sweet precious self. Convinced H Potter into breaking into and out of Gringotts with the Cup; succeeded, though R Weasley died in attempt. Killed H Potter on the landing, H Granger forced the issue and had to be killed, destroyed cup. Confronted dad, killed Nagini. Couldn't beat Dad in open combat, barely escaped with my entire ass.

\- Dad started making new horcruxes out of all his Death Eaters the second I retreated. This is an issue.

19\. Another attempt at 18, followed through precisely the same until the open assault on Dad. Turns out Dad cannot be poisoned either but the attempt made him start making more horcruxes.

\- S Snape interfering, erratic due to death of H Potter. Must be managed.

\- H Granger less helpful than hoped as survivor despite excellent grasp on logic of the situation; she is 15 and not Minister for Magic (yet).

\- I should be fucking Minster for Magic.

20\. Another attempt at 18. Dad also unfazed by guns. More horcruxes. H Granger more useful when properly radicalized with anger instead of logic; took down several Death Eaters before she went. S Snape still a nuisance and difficult to kill even just out of spite; beginning to think he will need to be killed or controlled as he cannot be brought around. Timing and trickery was nearly flawless but need better firepower for Dad.

21\. Another attempt at 18. Stole Elder Wand from A Dumbledore. Stronger in combat, still not as strong as Dad and a heap of Death Eaters.

\- Stealth is not enough, and never will be. Need allies. Full frontal assault alone is a nonstarter if I want to keep my skin all the way on.

\- S Snape fighting on Death Eater side has almost nailed me too many times; almost as difficult as Dad to defeat in open. I am not a natural duelist and no amount of practice will make me one. Need him fighting for me; could turn the tide. Tie his loyalties to mine the same way A Dumbledore did?

\- Implementation of above would also tie H Potter's loyalties to me. Efficient.

\- Hallows?

\- What the fuck is a Master of Death anyway?

22\. 1995. Using technique from 12, where locket was used to gain S Black's trust; used diadem and locket to gain trust with A Dumbledore and S Snape. Dumping all S. Snape's secrets on the table with H Potter to distract him and S Snape; it’s super effective! Side benefit of making S Snape suffer a bonus. Set A Dumbledore working on cup, get H Potter on Occlumency, keeping both sidelined and sniping at each other and on my side. Went with H Potter to get ring but _of fucking course_ the kid has just as many ghosts as S Black, S Snape  & A Dumbledore, so the kid fucking puts it on, which solves one problem but creates ten more. MUST MANAGE FOR SENTIMENTAL ASSETS. Coverup doesn't work (ring is clearly destroyed, R Weasley tattles, all trust gone) and Nagini's still slithering out there. A Dumbledore won't hand over the Elder wand and they're too on alert to let me steal it to pull the hat trick with L Potter. Didn't even bother trying to have a go at Dad.

23\. Another attempt on 22. SUCCESS.


End file.
